Low-Maintenance Garden Edging Options You Should Try​

Due to my busy schedule I've been unable to post anything for a while so content manager and Horticulturalist Cassie Steele has kindly written a piece, I hope you enjoy and find it useful...

While 3 out of 4 American households have landscaping, up to 44% of them still hire a pro to take care of their lawn and gardening needs, according to a consumer survey by the National Association of Landscape Professionals. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t transform your landscape on your own. If you’re looking for unique ideas to design your garden without necessarily hiring a professional gardener, perhaps it’s time you rethink your garden edges. Installing new edges is one of the easiest and fastest ways to improve the look of your garden.

Whether you want to draw attention to a garden bench, dress up a swathe of colorful perennials or simply keep gravel inbounds, defining what your garden will be should help you choose the right type of edging. Here are some top low-maintenance garden edging options you should try:

The Classic Bricks

Bricks offer a classic look, with new, red bricks offering a modern crisp look, and salvaged bricks lending a timeworn and subtle appearance. The good thing about incorporating bricks for your garden edging option is the fact that they easily adapt to both straight runs and tight angles, and can host lichen and moss. However, intermediate masonry skills are needed for creating curves. The low-profile and weathered surface of bricks easily shift attention to your lawn, lush garden or Creative outdoor water features like a fountain.

Locally Sourced Stones

When you want a more natural-looking garden edging alternative that’s easy to setup with zero maintenance work, go for stone edging. You can easily source different sized stones locally or get a load of them from a local supplier. Stones pair well with any type of garden. The challenge lies in placing them one by one to create the desired look you want. Mimicking nature can be surprisingly hard. To achieve the best natural look, consider blending different types of stones like river rocks and natural stone, with the casual arrangement of your plants.

Whatever option you choose, your ultimate goal is to create a relaxing outdoor space. For the installation, first, determine how you’ll want to mark the start and finish of your stone edging. For instance, you can place large stones at either end of the garden bed or opt for a series of increasingly smaller stones to create some background contrast. You’ll want to roll each stone before placement to find its best side before laying it on the garden bed. Unless your stones are small, make sure they’re buried at least 1-2 inches deep for a natural look.

The Elegant Metal Landscape Edging

Metal edging is becoming an increasingly popular edging option in home gardens. It offers an elegant, timeless and clean-cut solution to keep curvaceous materials like stones and gravel contained, while also creating a practical transition between your garden bed and lawn. Metal edging is considered the staple of the modern day garden, is strong enough to remain rigid after installation and is ideal where straight lines and geometric designs are desired. The best choice of metal is usually steel, available with corrosion-resistant finishes and aluminum - heavy gauge, which is rust-free.

Metal edging comes in long strips in similar heights, widths, lengths and colors. To install, first check the soil. If it’s soft enough, you don’t need to dig a small trench. Start by placing a 2x4 strip on the top edge and use a small sledgehammer to drive the edging into the ground. To ensure proper anchoring, pound in matching metal stakes on both sides. Metal can also be used in a variety of ways in homes to create stunning DIY projects for your indoors and outdoors.

Garden edgings are not limited to what you might find online or at your local garden center. Sometimes, the greatest edging for your garden could be a conventional material like old wine bottles, bamboo sticks and fallen wood used in an unconventional way to create sharp-looking boundaries between your lawn and garden. Try out these low-maintenance edging options to give your garden a cleaner look.